Its Not Over Yet
by KoreanKracker
Summary: As a stranger is unwillingly placed in his care, Suiegtsu finds himself having to deal with the ups and downs of looking after this odd woman. As much as he hates it now, he ll soon realize that his feelings for her will shift dramatically. SuixOCxSasu /currentlyONHOLD/
1. The suspense is killing me

Under the shade of the lush and immensely green forestry Team Taka had made their way to find the hachibi, Killer Bee. It had been their third day out on this journey and it seemed as if they were making good time considering the fact that they were a day or so behind schedule due to a so-called obstacle in the form of a 5'1 light purple haired maiden. Though, with all that aside as long as they were back on track that was the only thing that mattered. As Suigetsu looked to the heavens, he thought it was a good thing that the surroundings were quite shady. It was mid-afternoon, the time when the the sun`s rays were at it`s most efficacious. It tried to beat down on everyone with no attempt of success so far making the team seem almost invincible. Almost. As Yukio straddled alongside Suigetsu, he constantly kept looking back at her to make sure she wasn't being left behind, to make sure nothing was happening to her and to make sure she wasn't looking at Sasuke in a supicious manner. This girl was extremely nerve-racking. If anything about her disposition appeared to be out of sorts, then the results could be very detrimental to everyone. A few moments had passed and she appeared to look fine, so Suigetsu turned his attention away, gulped and placed his hands in his pockets.

_(Ah, damn, Why me? Of all people!) _he pondered. He glanced over at Sasuke and shook his head while taking a drink from his canteen. Beside him, Yukio trembled as she gripped onto the necklace Nagato had given her. The tips of her fingers twitched, wanting to rip the cursed thing off but she couldn't upset Nagato. No, not after all he had done for her thus far.

**_(C'mon! Rip the damned thing off already! It's smothering me...)_** Complained Yasu. Yukio narrowed her eyes and ignored his incessant rants. As she looked over to Sasuke, she noticed the girl beside him. Her name was Nemu. Said girl wrapped her arms around Sasuke's forearm causing him to let out an almost invisible smile. Yukio glared at them and felt her rage slowly begin to leak out. She walked up closer to Suigetsu so she wouldn't have to see them. As Suigetsu looked down to her, it became apparent that she was becoming a bit upset. She looked away and huffed. He looked over to Sasuke who was facing the other way, trying to ignore Yukio. Suigetsu turned away and made a face.

_(Sheesh... Could the tension in the air get any thicker?) _He thought._ (I can barely breathe...)_

Then all of a sudden, Yukio had tripped over her own two feet. Her arms flailed in the air and she let out a soft gasp. Through the corner of Suigetsu`s eyes, the fall seemed like an unnatural move so he was startled. He reacted too quickly and ended up whacking her over the head with the blunt end of his sword. Yukio mewled and fell back. She felt her body lock up and couldn't move. Sasuke turned around quickly and saw her on the ground. He narrowed his eyes.

"Oops..." Suigetsu let out nervously.

"What was that all about?" Questioned Jugo.

"Sorry... I saw her move and acted on instinct..." Mumbled Suigetsu. He knelt down beside Yukio.

"Please don't tell Madara...!" He whispered. Yukio looked up at him with bored eyes. In all honesty, it didn't really bother her at all. She felt herself lose contact with the ground as Suigetsu picked her up and held her bridal style. Jugo chuckled.

"I bet you did that on purpose, you perv." He teased. Suigetsu grunted.

"No way! I thought she was going to make a move is all."

"Wow..." Karin muttered whilst adjusting her glasses.

Sasuke shut his eyes and grumbled.

"Suigetsu, watch her more carefully. Don't go swinging your sword around so carelessly. We're the Taka, aren't we? Watch her like one." He stated with a stern flavor in his voice. Nemu caressed his forearm.

"It's okay..." She said softly. Sasuke merely mumbled. Suigetsu made a sour face.

"Now look what you did. Sasuke scolded me." Suigetsu said with a rough tone. Yukio didn't say anything and she merely glanced over at Sasuke. He looked down to Nemu with a kind smile. Remembering how Itachi used to smile at her the same way, tears began to well up in Yukio`s hurtful eyes. She blinked them away and looked up at Suigetsu, particularly admiring that one sharp tooth that just so happened to stick out from the rest. To clear her mind, she stared at it till she soon drifted to sleep. After a while the rest of the team decided to to the same. When they found the appropriate spot, the team spread out a bit to get a good feel of the afternoon wind. Suigetsu glanced around and decided to lay Yukio up against a well shaded tree, but accidentally stirred her from her slumber.

"Well, well. Had a nice nap, sleeping beauty?" He asked with a dumb smile. Just as Yukio was about to reply, Jugo butted in.

"Quit sweet talking her. She isn't interested." He chuckled. Karin giggled as Suigetsu furrowed his eyebrows.

"I didn't mean it like that!" He shouted. Yukio sighed and rolled her eyes whilst looking away. Jugo leaned closer to her and grabbed her chin, pulling her face so she faced him directly.

"C'mon, you can't possibly stand this guy..." He said in a deep voice.

_(What does this fool think he's doing?)_ Yukio questioned in her mind.

_**(Isn't it obvious? He finds you attractive.)**_ Yasu hissed. Yukio mewled as she felt Yasu getting rowdy.

_(Just shut up!)_ She spat at him.

"Stop touching her!" Suigetsu demanded. Jugo chuckled.

"Jeez, boy. You're quite shelfish, wanting her all to yourself."

Suigetsu felt his cheeks get warm.

"No! It's not what you're thinking! Yukio could get sick by your filthy hands!"

"Pffft, since when has filth ever been a problem of yours?"

"Since that damned Madara character entrusted me with her! She already has a weak body. If she catches something bad, he will have my head!"

"In that case, Jugo you can touch her all you want... B)" Karin said with a mocking tone. Suigetsu glared at her and growled.

"Shut up! You don`t know how this feels like, okay? Go die in a hole or something." he spat. Karin was taken aback and stepped forward to him.

"Why don`t **you** go die in a hole? Unlike you, this team needs me! If you were to die, we`d do just dandy without you!"

"Like hell you are! This whole team could do soooo much better without you dragging us around! You bitch!"

As the two continued to bump heads, Jugo scooted over to Yukio`s side. He noticed Sasuke and Nemu watching the arguement from the other direction. They didn`t seemed too amused, particularly Sasuke.

"_These two, eh? Once they start, they can`t stop. I swear it does get annoying..._" he whispered. Yukio nodded in agreement.

"Hey you guys, stop it already, will ya? We don`t need this right now. Go flirt some where in private." Jugo let out.

"**WE ARE NOT FLIRTING!**" the two shouted with the upmost rage.

"Feeeh. Sureee, whatever you say." Jugo bellowed.

"Ugh, I can`t believe you`d say something like that!" Karin shouted whilst shaking her head.

"Seriously! Who`d want to flirt with this thing here?" Suigetsu said through clenched teeth.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"

"YOU HEARD MEH, UGLEH!"

Sasuke snarled and walked over by the two imbeciles. He smacked water boy upside his head and turned to Karin.

"Karin! Shut up! Keep talking back and he`ll never shut up! You, Suigetsu! Just keep your mouth shut and pay attention to your main goal: Keeping Yukio safe. I swear if_ any_ of you two speak another word, I`m going to send you to the pits of hell and beyond!" he roared. The two Taka members looked at him with perturbed expressions. Jugo got up and took a deep breath. He appeared content with what the results of this little quarrel came to.

"Welp, I guess it`s time to make like a tree and 'leaf'~" he said with a kind tone. Yukio looked up at him and let out a small smile at his corny little joke.  
>"I`m gonna go and get us some fruits. How`s that sound, Violet?" he asked. Yukio didn`t respond, but she looked at him with pleased eyes.<br>"Okay then. As long as you aren`t a picky eater."

And with that, she watched as the orange-haired man disappeared into the trees. She directed her attention back to the two losers who just got reprimanded.

"I`m sorry, Sasuke-kun~! Please forgive me~" Karin pleaded in an innocent voice. Sasuke grumbled to himself and returned to Nemu`s side. Suigetsu gave him a nasty look. He looked down over at Yukio. By the looks of it, she seemed a little uneasy. He walked over to her and placed his hand on her forehead. Yukio narrowed her eyes. She felt a bit warm so Suigetsu gave her some of his water. He placed one hand behind her head and with the other, held the canteen in front of her lips and an incline so she could drink. Yukio gulped the cool contents until she was satisfied. Letting out a small sigh she tilted her head back and tried to relax. Suigetsu looked at her and tilted his head.

"Em, stay here and rest a while. I'm just gonna go refill my canteen." He said worridly. Yukio didn't respond. As he left, she tried to clench and unclench her fists.

_(So... It seems that I can move again...) _She thought as she looked around. Her eyes began to well up again, but she rubbed the dark tears away.  
>Everyone began to disperse in search of water or food. Soon, it was just her, Yasu and Sasuke. She grumbled and began to rip up the grass beneath her.<br>_(I don't belong here. I don't want to be here...) _

**_(Get over it, heh. Your target is here after all.)_** Yasu said. That light bulb in Yukio's mind went off and she looked over to see Sasuke's body. When he turned around, their eyes met for a brief moment then he grunted, quickly turning away.

_(He's so close, yet he's still so far...)_ Yukio pondered. She clenched her necklace and felt Yasu growl.

**_(Take that abomination off!)_**

_(... But Nagato said-_

**_(Who cares what he said? I sure as hell don't! Take it off before it's too late!)_**

Yukio slowly shook her head.

"N-no..." She whispered. Then, Yasu became enraged. Yukio's eyes widened as she felt an emense pain surge throughout her body. She clutched her chest and cried out as she toppled over, succumbing to Yasu's absurd strength. Sasuke looked back and stared at her for a brief second. He searched around for Suigetsu but he was no where to be found.

_(Damnit, where is he?)_ He thought frantically. He ran over to Yukio and flipped her over. As she opened her eyes, she peered into Sasuke's onyx eyes. She reached out, trying to strangle him. Sasuke leaned back.

"Calm down, Yukio!" He pleaded. Yukio growled with dissatisfaction.

**_(C'mon! He's practically in your lap!) _**Yasu shouted. As Yukio was about to pounce, she shot up and roughly pushed Sasuke out of her way. She widened her eyes once more as she gaged and hacked and began spitting up what was supposed to be blood.

_(What the hell...? B-black...? It`s black...?) _Sasuke thought. When she passed out, he panicked.

**_(You're so pitiful. I can't believe you.) _**Yasu snarled.

Yukio whined as she felt her concious slip away. Sasuke growled and placed his hand on his face. He ripped off a piece of his top and used it to clean whatever the hell was on Yukio.

"This stuff... It`s not normal... What the hell is this shit? Why is it black?" he said outloud to himself. With a majority of the black substance wipped off, Sasuke craddled Yukio in his arms. He gazed down at her, looking at her features. She was a completely different person now than how she used to be so many years back. She had changed. She looked just like the broken little girl she was when the two had first met. Sasuke cringed and let out a sad smile. He knew it was his fault, too. As much as that thought hurt him, there was nothing else he could have done. He did what he had to do and while it only had to deal with his older brother, it seemed Yukio was paying the ultimate price of it all. She was the last person that should be suffering for all this, but either way she held all the pain inside her.

"'What happened to you...? It seemed like yesterday you were the soft girl that came to me with a smile on your face. Although, now you greet me with eyes made out of coal and an icy smile. But I don`t blame you..." he whispered softly to her. He spent the time waiting for everyone to return with her in his arms. He felt very content but when he looked down at Yukio, he felt something else that he shouldn`t have. He looked away and shut his eyes, feeling the wind brush up against his skin. This was such a peaceful time, Sasuke was just about able to fall asleep in this environment.

"Hey, Leader?" spoke a deep voice. Sasuke opened his eyes to see Jugo hovering over him.  
>"That`s mermaid man`s woman you`re holding there. Better put her down before he sees you and sprays water on you. Haha." he said jokingly.<br>Sasuke met his eyes and was only able to let out a fragment of a once complete smile.

"Are the others returning?" he asked. Jugo nodded while Sasuke got up. The two chattered and when most of the team started to return, he picked Yukio up and faced them.

"There is a village not to far from here with an inn. We`re going to stay there for tonight and leave first thing tomorrow morning. I think everyone deserves a good rest on a bed." he stated. The others nodded and followed their leader. Nemu walked very close to Sasuke`s side. She let out a soft huff.

"Is everything alright, Nemu?" Sasuke questioned. Nemu nodded her head.

"...Yeah. I`m just a bit tired." she said softly. Sasuke chuckled.

"I`ll get you a nice bed, Nemu." He said in a sincere tone.

He glanced down at the light purple hair that flowed from Yukio`s scalp and tightened his grip on her. Something about her didn`t sit right with him. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn`t quite grasp it. It worried him and he knew well that it shouldn`t have. Too many events had occured since that time long ago. Everything was different now and everyone went through their own changes. Still, the feeling of nostalgia couldn`t flee him. He pursed his lips and relaxed his shoulders. Shrugging the things in his head off, he kept his mind focused on leading his team to the nearest inn.

* * *

><p><em>derpderp.<em>

_So, this is my new story with my character, Yukio~  
>This whole thing takes place after Itachi dies pretty much.<br>I have my friend`s character, Kyo who will appear in this story once I get there~  
>And Nemu is also another character of hers.<br>It`s my bestest friend, Turkishcracker8~  
>Look her up, because she has a couple awesome stories out. :3 And Yukio is in one of hers~ :P<br>Anywho~...  
><em>_I hope this wasn`t bad or anything. I know that Naruto is really overrated and I am not as much of a Narufag as i was before, BUT I had this story for a while and it had to come out. :I  
>TELL ME. DO I SUCK? Should I continue? :c<em>


	2. It may not seem like it but I still care

Yukio had awoken to a cool breeze clashing with her skin. She slowly sat up and looked around, noticing the silhouette of a man near an open window. She narrowed her eyes at him. Sasuke averted his gaze from the window to Yukio. When he looked into her eyes, he saw her anger and flinched.

_(Damn it, she's awake. Maybe I should have left when I still had the chance...)_ He thought as he felt Yukio's gaze burn through him. Taking in a deep breath, he spoke.

"...So I see you're awake... Yep... That's, uh, good... Mhm..." He let out awkwardly whilst swaying back and forth. He tossed to her a small bag of fruit.

"Jugo got these for you when he was foraging. He told me to tell you that he hoped you like them since you didn`t tell him what you wanted specifically..." Sasuke let out with a shakey voice. He scratched the back of his head and pursed his lips. Yukio snorted.

"Stop it." She said with a dead tone. Sasuke merely shrugged and turned away.

"...Why?" She uttered softly.

"Hm?"

"Why...? Even now..."

"Why what?"

"Even after all he did, you still..."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and looked her over. All this questioning over the same person quickly grew tiring for him.

"After all I've been through, there was no way I could have done what he wanted of me. I've chosen a different path than-

He stopped once he heard Yukio's soft sobs.

"I'm sorry, but that's just how it is... Yukio." He said.

"I can't believe you..." She cried.

"Yukio, There was nothing else that I could have done. You have to see that!" Sasuke raised his voice.

"There was! It was because of your ignorance that he`s gone! Everyone said you were soooo smart, yet you were not smart enough to see the whole truth of it all. And when you did, it was too late. I am bothered by you!"

"Why the hell does this bother you so much? Yukio-

He paused to see Yukio staring dead at him. Her eyes connected with his and he felt his stomach getting upset. Her eyes were filled with such pain, it sickened him. Enraged, he began to yell.

"You... Why are _you_ the one suffering so much? You are not the one who should be hurting this much, so why? Huh? TELL ME WHY!"

Yukio flinched. Seems like Taka`s leader had finally lost it.

"...Because he wasn`t able to..." she murmured.

"What?"

"BECAUSE! Itachi was always the silent one! He never had a chance to actually ever suffer and release all the pain he kept locked up inside him! He always suppressed it with strong words and drugs and I... -sigh- I couldn`t stand seeing him this way. And I knew, I KNEW it was because of you!" she cried. Sasuke blinked. Yukio held herself and slowly leaned forward into her sheets.

"Itachi always looked at me... Those eyes of his. Even when he would tell me how much he loved me and how happy he was with me, his eyes seemed to say other wise. He never had time to cry or mourn to himself. He was always shoved with more problems down his throat and he`d swallow it all without any complaints. But if you saw him, you would have known that he was deeply conflicted. 21 years is not a lot of time on this earth and already he had been through more than anyone`s share in one lifetime. He`s seen so much but he never really had anytime to get over any of it... and now he never will. That`s why..." Yukio wiped the tears from her flushed face.

"That`s why I`m in so much agony. I`m going to suffer for him. I want him to feel better even though he`s not here anymore..."

Sasuke looked down at her. He narrowed his eyes and let out a soft huff. The things she said actually made some sense, but she off all people shouldn`t be suffering for any of this. That was Sasuke`s job; Itachi was _his _brother. Yes, he was also Yukio`s lover and it was only right she mourn for his death, but this was getting out of hand.

"I understand you, but Yukio... Look at yourself, you have completley changed. Please stop it. Yukio, I really l-" he cut himself off and bit his lip. A few different feelings aroused inside him and he tried to focus on only one. Yukio mumbled to herself and shook her head. Sasuke made the bold move and began walking closer to her. Once he was by her bedside, he placed his hand on her shoulder and moved her so she was looking up at him.

"You may be under Suigetsu`s care, but I will not have you being the dead weight of my team. We`re already about a day behind thanks to you. I can`t have you almost dying every moment; I just _can`t_. We have things to do and plans to carry out. I`ll leave Suigetsu behind to fend for himself with you if I have to, but there is something I promised to do. I`m not letting anyone get in the way, not even you." he said with dead eyes.

Yukio`s ears twiched and she let out a smirk beneath her tears. She grabbed the sleeve of his outfit and pulled his face down closer to hers. Sasuke noticed the whites of her eyes getting darker and made a face. She placed her lips just on the outsides of his ears and whispered something to him. When she finished, she let him go and wrapped herself with the sheets of the bed. Sasuke looked at her with abstruce eyes. He watched as tears that were once clear began to shift in color and turn black. She gave him a tantalizing smile that was very melancholy. Nothing about her was convivial anymore, yet she still smiled and mocked him. It was such a satisfying smile, no one would`ve guessed how much hurt she was going through.

"I hope you know that you mean nothing to me now. I`d just love to see you try. You will **never** accomplish your promise. It`s impossible." he said with a large dose of impertinence. He frowned with dark eyes.

"It`s that type of hubristic attitude of yours that will end up being your demise. You say it`s impossible, but even the so called 'great' fall in due time. I`m going to fulfil what I promised Itachi because I would **never** lie to him. The day I lie to him is the day I`m sentenced to death; and that day will never arise. I will _never_, _ever_ fail him. " Yukio said with a bitter taste to her voice.

Sasuke blinked. He growled at her and took a few steps back.

"I see how it is... Yukio."

"Get out." she let out with a grin. Sasuke saw that she was sick of seeing him already.

"Yukio, I-"

"GET OUT!" she snarled. He cringed as he could taste the venom in her voice. To be honest, he was a little bit intimidated but at the same time he pitied her. She was a fool to feel this way, a fool to think that she was the only who needed to suffer all by herself. Sasuke was in just as much pain as she, yet she dare smile and mock him. As he turned away, Nemu walked in. Her eyes darted from Sasuke to Yukio. She cocked her head to the side and looked back at Sasuke.

"What`s going on here?" she asked. Sasuke Glanced at her and whatever fear he felt quickly dissipated.

"N-Nemu..." he let out in a shakey voice.

"Is everything okay?"

Sasuke nodded.

"I`m sorry, did I worry you?" he questioned. Nemu let out a soft "uh-huh".

"Sorry..." he huffed. Nemu looked towards Yukio. She appeared as if she was going to erupt. Sasuke walked over to Nemu and placed his arm around her.

"Why don`t we leave? I believe Yukio wishes to be alone." he muttered. Nemu looked up at his with a puzzled expression, but followed him out nonetheless.

As Yukio was left alone, she curled up into a ball an wrapped the sheets around her. Once their presence had disappeared, she brokedown and cried to herself. Her tears were getting darker with every passing moment and soon she lost the ability to see. Meanwhile, down the hallway of the Inn, Sasuke and Nemu chattered softly amongst themselves.

"How is Yukio...?" Nemu asked. Sasuke shrugged.

"I don`t know and I don`t really care anyway. She`s just a hot mess. The only reason why we`re resting here is because she needs it. I can`t believe she`s gotten so weak... She never used to be this way..." his voice got softer as he ended his thought. He slowly lowered his head and let out an inaudible sigh. Nemu gripped his hand and held it up close to her cheek. The two paused and looked into each other`s eyes.

"It`s okay to feel sad for her, you know. I know how it is between you two..." she murmured. Sasuke caressed her cheek and bent over slightly to plant a small kiss on her forehead. Nemu grinned widely and giggled. The two held hands as they began to move throughout the inn, making their way to their room. Not too long after that, they ended up meeting with Suigetsu who looked very exhausted.

"H-hey you guys, -huff- could`ve told me you booked some rooms and an inn. I spend forever looking for you all outside!" he exclaimed. Sasuke growled and narrowed his eyes. He gentley nudged Nemu out of the way and walked up so he was face to face with him.

"Suigetsu! Why _the hell_ did you leave Yukio unattended?" he questioned quite loudly with a voice filled with rage. Suigetsu grunted.

"What? Did something happened to her?" he asked. Sasuke placed his hand over his face

"**Idiot!** Of course! Hope that she is still okay! I can`t believe you!"

Suigetsu huffed as Sasuke glared at him menacingly.

"You incompentent neanderthal..." he muttered to himself as he watched Suigetsu run off. It wasn`t that hard to find her room as it was the only room which soft sobs could be heard out of. As he approached her room, he swung the door open. She was still crying to herself.

"Hey!" he called out. Yukio gasped and looked towards him. He rushed to her side.

"What happened? What`s up?" he asked. Yukio had covered her face to wipe away the dark tears. The white of her eyes began to shift back to their normal color and she sould see her vision coming back. Suigetsu was frantically waiting for an answer yet she didn`t say anything. He sighed and shook his head.

"I leave you for one minute and you keel over on me... In top of that, I get chewed out by that damned Sasuke... You`re such a bother." he muttered. He picked Yukio up and placed her on the opened windowsill.

"They say fresh air is good for sick people." he said. Yukio rolled her eyes and rubbed her puffy eyes. She looked out and shut her eyes as she absorbed the new air that was coming in. Suigetsu walked away and removed his sword from its sheath and began polishing it. Yukio turned to watch him. Through analysis, Suigetsu appeared to be a bit meek, but his body said otherwise. Yukio knew that he was strong and that there was an abnormal aura about him but she also questioned as to why Madara made him watch over her. He looked pretty ordinary, certianly no one special enough to see through to Madara`s plan, but there was something about this guy that made Yukio stop and wonder. Suigetsu paused as he felt someone`s eyes on him. He looked over to Yukio and blinked.

"Whaaatt?" he spat. "Do I look funny to you?"

Yukio snorted and turned away. Suigetsu made a face.

"Fine, ignore me. Well then? Do you want to rest again? It`s starting to get late, we`re gonna have to leave tomorrow morning." he said bleakly. Yukio nodded in agreement. She wobbled over to the bed and sat down, looking at him. The two exchanged glances for a few minutes.

"What?" he asked once more. Yukio didn`t say anything and looked away. She curled herself into a ball and quickly drifted to sleep. Suigetsu watched her.

"What a nusiance... Why did I have to be stuck with her? Feh." he uttered under his breath as he continued to primp his sword. He kept grumbling inaudible nonsense. Looking over a sick stranger was more than Suigetsu could handle, but he had no say in it all. He was stuck with her and that was all. He paused and glanced over towards Yukio once more. His glance wasn't as cold as before and a different feeling stirred within him. Shaking his head, he put his sword away and laid back in his seat, facing Yukio. He ran his fingers through his hair, shut his eyes and fell into a deep slumber.


	3. Dreams can forshadow things

_"So... Itachi lies in eternal rest and now his little brother joins. What an interesting twist of fate..." Kisame thought as he snickered.  
><em>_"We, the Taka, shall seek the destruction of Konoha." Sasuke said sternly folding his hands together._

_Madara raised an eyebrow._

_"Say what you want, but how will you go about it?" He questioned.  
><em>_"I'm only aiming for the elders. No one else matters." Sasuke replied humbly.  
><em>_"Where there is a king, there are always soldiers nearby to defend him. The task will not be easy and I find that your little 'Taka' group isn't strong enough anyway." Kisame said flashing a wide grin. Suigetsu scoffed and scratched his head.  
><em>_"I wouldn't take us lightly if I were you, Kisame-senpai. Our little skirmish from before still isn't finished. I'm getting serious this time." He said pounding his left fist into the palm of his right hand.  
><em>_"Hey waterboy, don`t egg him on!" Jugo warned._

_Ignoring Jugo`s words, Suigetsu smirked, unsheathed his sword and jumped across the table, sliding towards his senpai. He let out a low chuckle but as he swung, his sword was abruptidly stopped by Madara's arm. Suigetsu grunted widened his eyes in astonishment._

_"Sasuke, learn to train your subordinates." Madara spat rather pissed._

(He stopped it with just his arm? How is this possible?)_ Suigetsu thought frantically. Sasuke looked over them and narrowed his eyes._

_"What the fuck are you doing, Suigetsu? Stop it!" Karin shrieked in a deep voice. Suigetsu growled.  
><em>_"Shut your face! I only care about getting my hands on that Samehada! The only reason why I joined this stupid little group was so I could get to it!" He retorted.  
><em>_"Sasuke, what do you plan on doing?" Asked Jugo.  
><em>_"Feh. Do what you want. You probably can't beat him yet anyway." Sasuke let out._

('Yet', huh?) _Kisame thought_

_"Don't say that. Just watch, one day I'll treat you to some delicious shark fin soup~!" Suigetsu exclaimed whilst handing Kisame a playful smirk.  
><em>_"The Akatsuki is also lacking the necessary manpower, so we must refrain from any avoidable battle." Madara said blankly.  
><em>_"Then I suggest you look down on us no longer." Suigetsu said as he calmed down and drewback his sword.  
><em>

_"Our goals coincide. That's why you all will cooperate with Akatsuki from this moment on." Madara continued as Suigetsu dropped his sword and pulled back.  
><em>_"And what will we benifit from this?" Sasuke asked with dead eyes.  
><em>_"We share the Bijuu, of course." Replied Madara.  
><em>_"Bijuu?" Sasuke questioned while tilting his head.  
><em>_"You have no idea about them?" Madara said with a hint of surprise in his voice.  
><em>_"I know! Like the Kyuubi, they're basically just physical forms of chakra tha-_

_Sasuke raised his hand, cutting Karin off mid sentence. She blushed and looked the other way._

_"What are they?" He asked once more.  
><em>_"More or less, they're chakra monsters. The first hokage used to have quite a few under his control back in the day. But as he was the Hokage, he began sharing them during each Great Ninja War as a peace treaty between villages. It was his way of confirming the power balance between the 5 Great Nations. One could call them the ultimate chakra weapons. Not a bad deal, wouldn't you agree?" Madara explained._

_"How kind of you to offer." Sasuke replied. He looked down with no hint of emotion in his being.  
><em>_"Although... if you decide to betray Akatsuki, know that I'll decide to have you killed." Madara said. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and smirked._

(Fat chance... I`m not dying just yet.)_ He thought maliciously._

_"There's a total of 9 Bijuu in the world. We already have 6, but there are 3 left." Kisame informed. Madara flashed an invisible smirk unbeknownst to Kisame.  
><em>_"Akatsuki and Taka will split the remaining search. That's our primary goal." Madara said. Sasuke blinked.  
><em>_"You still have not obtained the Kyuubi, correct?" He asked.  
><em>_"Taka will capture the Hachibi, Akatsuki shall take care of the rest. And that includes Naruto." Replied the Uchiha with a harsh tone. Sasuke eyed him. It was as if he was so certain he'd capture Naruto. He smiled._

(How foolish...)_ Pondered Sasuke. He grumbled and lifted himself off of the stone cold seat._

_"We'll take the rest of the day off to rest. We'll head off first thing and get this over with." He stated with a lack of enthusiasm. He fluffed his coat and began walking away. His group members followed suit. Madara backed away towards the chair and raised a finger._

_"You! The one who wants to quarrel with Kisame. Stay behind." He demanded. Suigetsu turned around and pointed to himself._

_"Yes, you." Madara confirmed. Suigetsu walked back as Sasuke looked back, letting out a glare that was aimed towards Madara. Madara smiled underneath his mask and watched as Sasuke left. Suigetsu plopped himself on the stone chair and folded his arms._

_"What?" He asked simply. Madara raised an eyebrow.  
><em>_"I have something to ask of you, a favor per say." He stated. Suigetsu nodded.  
><em>_"I am going to be busy capturing the Kyuubi, and that includes Kisame and whoever else is alive in Akatsuki. Therefore, there will be no one here..."  
><em>_"And you need me because...?"  
><em>_"I have someone extremly important to me, and I wish for you to look after her as no one will be here to do so. I want you to find her and become her body guard so to speak. Put her under your care for the time being and you'll be rewarded fairly."_

_Suigetsu scratched his head._

_"I`m not so sure... Why me, though?"  
><em>_"Because I know you have more potential than Sasuke, of course. Why would I leave her in the hands of someone unworthy if she is this important to me?" It was obvious this was a lie, but not to Suigetsu apparently.  
><em>_"Y-you do have a point... I suppose..."  
><em>_"Besides, Sasuke is the last person she'd want to see right now. You see, she and Sasuke have quite the history together and I don't think putting her under his direct care would be such a grand idea..."_

_Suigetsu nodded._

_"She is quite the acquaintance of Kisame, getting closer to Samehada would become so much easier."_

_That statement caught fish boy's upmost attention._

_"Sure, I'll do it. But what's the catch?"_

_"Nothing really. I just don't feel at ease knowing that she'll be here alone and unguarded. But I will warn you now, should anything happen to her, I'll make sure that you will receive the most just punishment. I am entrusting someone of importance to a stranger, if anything happens I will be sure to have your head. Do you see how special she is now?"_

_Suigetsu gulped with the thought of reconsidering._

_"Y-yes... I d-do. Um, where is she exactly...?"_

_"Her name is Yukio, and she lies somewhere in this vicinity. I want you to find her, particularly to see how fit you are at perceiving the levels of someone's chakra level. I know that that is the specialty of that red-headed female in your group, but it is important for everyone to be able to do such a thing to some extent, besides, it would make your search much easier."_

_Madara began to walk away._

_"I'll see to you to have this task done thoroughly."_

_Suigetsu was left alone to ponder._

(This doesn't sound too great... On the plus side, I'd get closer to Samehada... But if anything happens to this girl, I'll be killed most likely... Bah! Women...)

_He stretched as he lifted himself of the seat. He waltzed out of the room with his hands behind his head and began his search for someone he had never met before. As he strolled along the hallways, he felt an odd chill travel up his spine. Looking around, noticing the dark and damp surroundings whilst folding his arms across his chest, Suigetsu took a long and hard sigh._

_"Jeez... Such a creepy place, I don't see what normal person can live here... hmm..." He muttered softly to himself. He did as Madara instructed and tried to detect a presence of chakra. He shut his eyes, and concentrated deeply, feeling for any signs of chakra. He stood there for a few minutes before his eyes shot open. He panted and took a long sigh._

_"Th-that can't be her... Could it?" He said to himself. Suigetsu felt a very scary chakra nearby and it startled him. He had to find out who it belonged to, so he followed the trail. The path lead to an even darker hallway, with the faint smell of mold. This area wasn't particularly nice to be in. What kind of being would be kept here of all places?_

_He approached what seemed like a door, but it was made of thick stone. He slowly pushed it open and he was greeted with a sharp cold breeze that brushed up against his skin. He peered through and all he could see was nothing. Pure darkness._

_"Hello...?" He called out. No response. He placed a firm grip on his sword as he slowly crept inside the room.  
><em>_"This was where I felt the chakra... but where did it go...?" He mumbled. Once he turned around, he tripped over something soft. He fell on his face and looked back._

_"What the...?"_

_He groped around in the darkness until he froze as he touched something that felt like human hair._

_"It's so soft..." He said blushing. As he crawled over, he felt around some more until he heard a soft moan. He gasped and fell back on his behind.  
><em>_"...Stop it." Breathed a soft voice. It was very feminine and innocent.  
><em>_"Eh? What? Who said that?" Suigetsu let out frantically. The soft voice scoffed.  
><em>_"Who are you?" It asked. Suigetsu cleared his throat and looked in the direction where the voice was coming from.  
><em>_"I-I'm looking f-for someone named Yukio." He replied. But the soft voice didn't respond. A few minutes of silence passed.  
><em>_"He-hello...? You there?"  
><em>_"I am. My name is Yukio. What do you want with me...?"_

_Suigetsu paused._

_"Madara asked me to get you. He wants me to guard you, so you're gonna have to come with me."_

_He heard an exasperated sigh and__ tilted his head._

_"Hello?" He called out once more whilst groping around in the darkness. As he crawled forward, he felt something really squishy beneath his finger tips. He squeezed it, causing Yukio to jump up and gasp. Sure enough, dispite the dark atmosphere, she was able to land a hard punch to water boy's face._

_"You pervert, get away! I don't want you!" She shrieked. Suigetsu stumbled back on his behind with woeful eyes.  
><em>_"What did I do? It's too dark, I can't see!" He cried. Yukio let out a disgusted sigh and crawled out of the room.  
><em>_"Hello...? Hey! Wait, don't leave me in here alone! It's dark and creepy in here!"_

_Suigetsu ran out and bumped into someone. He looked down to see a pale skinned woman lying on the ground. She looked up to him with tired, melancholy eyes that were a hue of light purple. Her hair was long, going past her lower back and it was also a light purple, matching her glistening eyes. Suigetsu gazed at her for too long and blushed._

_"A-are you really Yukio...?" He asked with disbelief. He eyed her over once more. Yukio was a small person, looking about 5'1, she had a small frame and appeared to be very fragile as she was oddly thin. She didn't seem very important and in all honesty, not very durable. One could wonder why she was so important; based upon first appearances, she really wasn't someone special. Though he had to admit, she looked very beautiful. Light purple was not a natural color and it made her all the more exotic._

(But still...)_ Pondered water boy. _(That strong chakra presence... It came from her room and no one else but her was in there...)

_"What do you want with me?" Yukio squeaked. She stood up and got in a defensive stance. Her posture was a bit off and she wobbled on her feet. Suigetsu tilted his head.  
><em>_"I already told you, I'm here to guard you. What? Did you already forget?"_

_Yukio narrowed her eyes._

_"Madara told you to come for me...?"  
><em>_"Oh, duh. Sorry, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Hozuki, Suigetsu. I'm from team Taka."_

_Yukio widened her eyes._

(Taka...? That means Sasuke-

_"You okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Suigetsu noted. Yukio shook her head. She walked back up to Suigetsu and looked up at him, her eyes running down his figure like a wolf examining its prey. She was scrutinizing him a little to closely. Suigetsu looked away and quickly became uncomfortable._

_"Soooooo..." He let out nervously. Still feeling her eyes on him, he made a face._

_"W-well, t-tomorrow we're going to capture a beast called the Hachibi. Sasuke told us to rest tonight to muster up our strength, soo... Uh, come with me and I'll get you a bed. I hear they're more comfortable than the floor." He mused. Yukio cringed when the name Sasuke came from his mouth. She looked down with a shadow encasing the top half of her face._

_"Follow me. Oh, by the way, why where you on the floor anyway...?" He asked.  
><em>_She didn't respond. The two walked together admist an awkward silence._

Suigetsu jumped and shot his eyes open. He looked around and took notice that he was in the room at the Inn the Taka were staying at. He rubbed his eyes and smacked his lips a few times.

_(Hrm... why did I dream that...?)_ He though to himself. He moaned and stretched his arms high above his head. He then let himself slouch in his seat.

"Egh, another day..." He mumbled.

Looking over, he noticed Yukio still asleep. Apparently he was the first to awaken.

"Quite the dreamer, I see..."

Suigetsu walked over to her and poked her. When she didn't stir, he gently grabbed her arm and shook her awake. Yukio slowly opened her eyes and let out a tiny yawn. Suigetsu returned to his seat and watched her awaken.

_(The dream... It was of how I met her. Hm, that was only a few days ago, though. What good will dreaming about the event do now?)_

Yukio sat up and looked over to Suigetsu. She blinked a few times and met his eyes. The two exchanged a few glances but broke the connection by quickly turning their heads away from one another.

"Yo, you feel any better?" Asked Suigetsu whilst folding his arms. Yukio shrugged.

_(From the looks of it, she hasn't been outside in quite a while. No wonder she's so sick, her body's not used to such activity... Being locked up for so long...)_

"Come to think of it, are you hungry? I haven't seen you actually eat since I took you from that room. We should get something to eat. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all." Suigetsu said. Yukio made a face and shook her head. Suigetsu pouted and appeared to be dissatisfied.

"That means yes in Chinese, so let's go eat~! Besides, I don't want Sasuke to bitch at me for not watching over you properly." He said. He walked over to Yukio and took her wrist and pulled her from the bed. Yukio widened her eyes and gasped. She was in no mood to be controled and tried to fight his grip, but her efforts were in vain. As a last minute defense, she grapped an apple from the bag Jugo had given to her and threw it at Suigetsu. The apple bounced off his head and landed on the floor.

"Hey, hey! What's your deal woman?" Suigetsu retorted. He rubbed the side of his skull and pouted. Yukio grumbeld to herself and sighed, letting the silver haired male take control of her.

_(What`s wrong with you? You can easily peel that greasy hand of his off of you. Why aren't you?)_ Yasu snarled. Yukio grunted.

_(I'm not feeling it, leave me alone!)_ She replied harshly. Yasu grumbled softly to himself.

Yukio unwillingly followed water boy out of the room, downstairs and out of the Inn in search of breakfast.


	4. Time for the action to begin

When the two were downstairs they noticed that everyone was already awake and eating. Suigetsu removed his grip on Yukio and ran to the small breakfast buffet and began stuffing his face. Yukio scoffed in disgust and walked away, taking a seat by herself in the corner of the room. She folded her arms and thought deeply to herself, ignoring anyone else that might have wanted to chat with her.

"Hey." said a deep voice.

Yukio wasn`t paying attention. The owner of the voice decided to take a seat next to the purple woman. Yukio was snapped out of her trance when she felt a hand being placed upon her own and turned to see that it was Jugo who was courting her. She made a face as Jugo held out a plate full of food. Jerking her hand away, she let out a confused expression.

"Sorry, I guess I was too forward, wasn`t I? Haha..." He mused. "Want some? You can have the whole thing if you want. `S cool with me." he said. Yukio shook her head, but Jugo shoved the plate into her arms nonetheless. He let out a charming smile and left for the table once again. Her eyes strayed from the plate of food to Jugo. Yukio let out a frown and placed the plate next to her. As she was about to get up, she saw Suigetsu make his way towards her.

"Mmpfh. Hey, dwo you wa` sum? Ay`ve got p`enty." he offered with a full mouth.

"Your lack of proper manners is very grotesque." Yukio said with a sour tone. Suigetsu paused and dropped all the food he had held. Everyone turned around to examine what all the ruckus was.

"Woah... You talk! You can actually talk!" he exclaimed. Yukio raised an eyebrow.

"Oh... Sorry everyone... Excuse me. ^^;" Suigetsu said. He stood before Yukio. "It`s just that I`ve never heard you talk before, ever since I`ve been stuck with you that is. You`re voice is so soft... It`s so cute, say something else~!"

Yukio rolled her eyes and got up and left, leaving Suigetsu with a mouthful of unchewed food. She awkwardly strolled to the buffet and looked at the food. The contents appeared to be very delicious and she wanted to try some. Grabbing her own plate, she began picking out various parts of the food that was laid out. Once she was satisfied she sat down at the table with everyone else, albiet in a chair that was seated away from the others. Everyone, with the exception of Sasuke, looked at her for a few moments before returning to their meals. Suigetsu ate by himself at the corner where Yukio was previously seated; not bothered or anything. As everyone ate peacefully, Sasuke took the time to think. He was facing the food on his plate, but his eyes wandered towards everyone and everything. He looked over to Karin then to Jugo and then lastly, to Suigetsu. Suddenly, the image of Team 7 popped up in his mind. Placing the food down, Sasuke quickly lost his appetite.

"Is everything alright...?" Nemu asked in a soft voice. Sasuke slowly nodded his head and sighed to himself.

"This is nice, right...? I mean, everyone`s content and nothing bad had happened yet... So, why do I feel so empty, Nemu? I feel as if there is something missing inside me." He whispered to his lover. Nemu`s eyes tilted. She placed her hand onto Sasuke`s and grip his apendages tightly.

"Are you having mixed feelings? Is it possible that you still miss her...? I`m fine with it, really..." She let out. Sasuke grunted.

"No, never. I`ll never miss her... I-I don`t... really..." His voice grew lower and lower.

"You need time to fix yourself, Sasu-kun. It`s okay to let everyone and everything go so that you have time to set yourself straight."

"I find it amusing, you seem to be making a valid point... But I won`t be 'letting anyone go' until after we capture the Hachibi."

"That`s fine."

Relieved, Sasuke found it easier to continue eating after talking with Nemu. He looked at her as she ate. Nemu was very dear to him, she was special and held a vast amount of importance in Sasuke`s heart. As much as he did love her, he needed to confirm for a fact that she wasn`t there just to fill the empty void inside his heart. That she was someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, to rebuild his clan with. The thoughts meshed together in his mind and he once again lost his appetite. A loud bang, almost like an explosion, had broken his thoughts and he stood up immediately. Everyone stopped eating and looked around for the source of the random noise.

"Are we under attack?" Asked Karin with a frantic flare. Another loud explosion occured south of their position and everyone was preparing themselves for whomever would appear before them. Suigetsu quickly ran from his corner and positioned himself beside Yukio, where she remained unaffected by the panick.

"Hey, we could be in trouble, whadya still eating for?" Suigetsu shouted. Yukio ignored him and continued to munch on a baguette. Suigetsu sighed.

"W-well, I guess you could use some food... Wait, no! Seriously, woman! Stop eating!"

"Don`t bust your balls all over me, calm down. If you panick, you`ll be the first one to die." Yukio informed. Suigetsu frowned at her blunt response.

"Karin, find out the chakras of these mysterious people." Sasuke demanded.

"Of course~" Karin let out with a giddy tone.

"Nemu and I, along with Jugo, will go outside and confront our unwanted visitors."

Jugo nodded.

"What will I do?" Suigetsu questioned.

"You are going to stay here with Yukio."

Suigestu`s visage looked like a kicked puppy.

"Whaaatt? Why? I should be going out there with the rest of you!"

"You`re main priority is protecting Yukio. You shall protect her and no put her in any danger."

"Uh, correction, dude? My main priority is getting my hands on all seven swords of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Yukio is no where near my first, not even second. She`s, like, all the way at 10 and I don`t even have 8 priorities to fill the spaces before the 10th!"

Yukio stopped eating and looked up at him. Sasuke glanced at her and it was quite apparent that Suigetsu had hurt her feelings. He sighed and glared at Water Boy.

"I don`t care! As leader, you will do as I say, understand?" He retorted.

Suigetsu grumbled and folded his arms. Since Sasuke was leader, he did as he was told and stayed by Yukio. Gazing down at her, he quickly found her to be quite cumbersome. It was bad enough that he was stuck caring for her when he had no idea who she was, now she was hindering his ability to do much else; this would simply not do. Yukio could tell his was upset with her. His aggravation was pouring out like tea from a kettle, steady yet quickly.

_**(Awww, is the little girl gonna cry?)**_ Yasu let out in a mockful tone. _**(Are you seriously letting him get to you? You`re not supposed to give a rats ass!)**_

This was true. Under any other circumstance, Yukio could`ve cared less if Suigetsu tolerated her or thought of her as nothing more than mere deadweight. But, after **His** death, it seemed like no one wanted her around anymore. The moment **He** perished, she was tossed into a stone prision with no food or water, almost as if she was supposed to slowly dissipate into nothing more than a forgotten memory. Truth be told, she was sick of it. There was nothing that angered her more than being constantly reminded that she should`ve just disappear and never show herself to anyone anymore. She may have been a monster, but she was still a girl and she was still human. She had feelings just like anybody else and they still hurt all the same. As she glanced up to her caretaker, she saw his face was bleeding out annoyance. And she knew it was directed towards her. The tension thickened, and soon the sickly purple haired woman began to feel very lonely. She sighed and tossed her food onto the floor, catching the attention of Water boy.

"I-if I`m bothering you, then just leave me!" Declared Yukio with hurtful eyes. Suigetsu tilted his head as she crossed her arms.

"What?"

"I know I`m just dragging you down. If you don`t like me than leave me. I don`t care, I don`t need you anyway..."

The pale man gulped and walked closer towards her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"But if you leave and something happens to you, I`ll get blamed and my ass handed to me on a silver platter! That masked guy will kill me. Besides, I don`t think Sasuke wants me to give you up, either."

Yukio shot her head up and looked at him.

"What did you say...?" She inquired with a soft voice.

"Sasuke`s been giving me the stink eye ever since you joined along for the ride. I bet he expects me to go through with all this. It`s like if I screw up, he`s going to feed me to the vultures or sum'thin. Egh, it`s dumb. As much as I`m so totally **not** enjoying this, and I`m sure you`re not either, you and me are stuck together."

Yukio looked away at her spilt food and bit her lip. It did seem Sasuke was quite aggresive with Water Boy lately, but for all she knew, that`s how he could`ve treated him this whole time. But from the looks of it, this appeared to not be true. So, there had to have been something going on behind the scenes that Yukio didn`t know about. As intriguing as this whole mystery was, there was no time to waste thinking about it. An unexpected blast coming from the main door of the Inn jiggled Yukio out of her thoughts. She watched as Suigetsu pulled out his sword and stand in front of her in a defensive stance.

"Don`t worry, you don`t have to do much. Just make sure you don`t die, and all will be well." He said, looking back at her with a charming smile.


	5. Im glad I was important to you

"_Hey, look it`s him!"_

"_Ewwwwww…. Look who`s there with him."_

"_Gross, she`s so ugly. Why does she even bother hanging around him? He`s never going to fall for her."_

"_Seriously..."_

"_Hey, Yukio! You might as well high tail your behind away from him because you don`t stand a chance with him!"_

_When Yukio didn`t respond, the girls furrowed their eyes._

"_What a slut."_

_Smacking his lips, he grabbed Yukio`s hand and dragged her away with him to the lake._

"_They`re just jealous, Yukio. You know that."_

_She didn`t respond. _

"…_Yukio? Don`t tell me you`re letting what they say get to you? You know that you`re better and way prettier than they are."_

_No answer._

"_/sigh/ Sometimes I don`t get what is going on with all the girls in this village."_

"_Isn`t it obvious?" responded Yukio. "You`re the guy all the girls have a crush on and I`m the girl that is closest to you, so all the girls will hate me. That`s fine by me, though. I don`t need friends anyway."_

"_That`s right. All you need is me." He replied with confidence._

"_If that`s what you say."_

"_What`s that supposed to mean?"_

"_It means I`m self sufficient. I don`t need you."_

_He paused while his face slowly fell._

"_You don`t mean that, do you?"_

_Yukio turned around and looked up at him. Her eyes locked with his and caused him to shuffle sheepishly in his place. When his face turned into a cherry she stopped, seemingly satisfied, and continued walking toward the glistening lake. Like a lost puppy, he followed anxiously behind her. Once the two arrived, they took a seat near the edge where their feet just about grazed the top of the cool waters below. They both peered to absorb the evening atmosphere. _

_The sun was setting and the volume of the outside world soon muted. It was dark. It was peaceful. It was calming. It was beautiful._

"_I wish moments like this carried on into eternity. I like these times the best." Yukio said, tossing a pebble into the lake. It skipped exactly 3 times before sinking. _

_He looked down towards her and nodded before returning his gaze to a large reflection on the lake. Swaying a bit, he contemplated scooting closer to his partner._

"_If you want you can move closer. I don`t mind."_

_Grunting, he tried to hide his now rosy cheeks. She always seemed to know what he was thinking. He scooted and placed his arm over hers, grabbing her hand. Yukio seemed unaffected by his move and instead smiled to herself. The two sat in harmony as the sounds of nocturnal creatures began to arise. Finally ignoring the scene, he turned around and focused his entirety on her._

"_This might be awkward, but I hope you know you mean a lot to me. You`re the most important person in my life… Yukio."_

_He tightened his grip on her hand as he felt 3__rd __degree burns develop on his cheeks. Yukio did not reply and merely continued her examination of the lake. An awkward silence soon settled in between the two and if it lasted any longer, he was sure he`d explode._

_Suddenly, Yukio jerked away from him and stood up, walking back to the village. He snorted and scrambled to follow her. Eventually, the two ended up at their doorstep. Yukio turned around to face him with a soft gaze. With the tips of her fingers, she slightly touched his neck and pulled him forward. She breathed on his lips and watched as he slowly melted into the palms of her hands. He regained his balance by firmly placing his hands on the door, with Yukio`s head in between. Finally calming himself he grabbed her and pulled her into a warm embrace. Yukio snuggled closer to him and returned his gesture._

"_Yukio, I-I…"_

"_What`s the matter? Cat got your tongue?" she replied slyly. _

_He blushed and tightened his grip on her. _

"_I`m glad I`m special to you."_

"_I`m glad too, Yukio…"_

"...Yukio... Yukio...! Yukio, wake up goddamnit!"

"Stop shouting."

"I can`t! I have to get her to wake up! I... I...!"

"Whatever."

The door slammed and Suigetsu was left to panic alone. Biting his lip, he tried to vigorously shake his partner awake.

"Yukio, please wake up! I don`t need this right now, you can die when I`m not responsible for your well being."

Eventually, he resorted to his sword, but at the last moment, Yukio shot her eyes open. Suigetsu gasped and fell backwards. Yukio experienced labored breathing and gripped her chest. She may as well have been having a nightmare.

(_Why did I dream about that? Why...?_) she thought to herself.

She was startled when a white piece of cloth made its way towards her face. It was Suigetsu holding a towel to wipe the sweat from her face. She looked at him with stern eyes and waited for him to finish. Once he set the towel down, he grabbed his canteen and held it up for her to drink.

"Thank goodness you`re awake. You passed out in the middle of that battle and I thought you were a goner!" He exclaimed. "You`re lucky that Sasuke was there when he was or else _I_ wouldn`t be here right now. You seriously have to stop fainting all over the place!"

The moment 'Sasuke' escaped Suigetsu`s lips, Yukio spit out her water all over him.

"Hey, hey! You`re wasting it! What`s your deal?" He shouted as he wiped himself dry.

Yukio coughed and tried to catch her breath. The sound of his name left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"I`m... I`m sorry..." she murmured.

"Dang right you`re sorry. Water doesn`t grow on trees you know. Learn how to be more considerate to others who are trying to help you."

Yukio dropped her head and kept quiet. The dream brought back a vast amount of memories that she spent years trying to bury deep into her mind.

(**_One little dream and now you`re all shaken up. C`mon, woman. Get over it. You don`t have the time to waste weeping like a weakling._**) Yasu hummed.

Shaking her head, Yukio tried her best to reshape herself mentally; breathing softly and blinking all of her tears away.

"H-hey, don`t beat yourself up over it, alright? I GUESS I could go and get more." Suigetsu let out sheepishly, thinking that Yukio`s grim demeanor was because of him. He placed his arms under her and picked her up.

"After that attack, we ran away and took refuge in this abandoned shack. So, now we`re even more behind but whatever. It`s not like it`s a big deal or anything... Although, we really should be heading out now. That Killer Bee isn`t going to catch himself you know."

Suigetsu kicked down the door and waltzed outside with Yukio in his arms. There, he met Sasuke, Nemu and Jugo.

"Finally, the princess woke up." Jugo mused as he waved to her. Yukio merely stared at him with blank eyes.

"What`s the matter? Mermaid boy didn`t _do_ anything to you while you were passed out or anything, did he?"

Suigetsu grunted and almost dropped his precious cargo.

"What? No! NO! I`m not like that you creep! Stop putting things into her head!" Suigetsu retorted with a flushed face.

Jugo chuckled.

"You know I was just joking. But judging how quickly you reacted..."

"Grrrr! You damned freak!"

Yukio shut herself off from the two as they began to spit back and forth. She rubbed her head as a dull pain began to develop. Someone shouting in her ear was the last thing she needed now. Trying to get her mind off of it, she looked around only to stumble upon a certain somebody standing a very safe distance from them. He was purposefully looking the other way and even though his back was facing her, she could tell he was ready to go off. For once, she could say she agreed with what he was feeling.

"Hey you two! Sasuke-kun is going to blow up if you guys don`t SHUT UP!" Shouted a red haired and four-eyed beast.

It was Karin. Oh yeah, I guess she`s there too.

"Hey, this doesn`t involve you. Stop trying to act like you`re important!" Shouted an irritated Suigetsu.

"You`re so disrespectful! Why don`t you hi-tail you and your girlfriend out of here?"

"I`m NOT going ANYWHERE! AND WHY DON- Wait, girlfriend?"

"Awwww, I knew it. It was only a matter of time." Jugo snickered. "Congratulations, Shark boy. I never thought you`d land yourself one, especially one so cute."

Suigetsu`s face quickly turned into a cherry and his pale skin shifted in color. Just as he was about to speak, Sasuke butted in.

"Why don`t we leave it at that, shall we?" He said in a hard tone.

He grabbed Nemu by the wrist and tugged her along behind him as he proceeded on with the mission. Jugo shrugged and followed suit along with Karin. Suigetsu grumbled and looked down at Yukio who had fallen asleep through all this. Thankfully, she didn`t hear what Karin had said. He continued to stare at her quietly.

(_Eh, it`s not like she`d care anyhow... I don`t mean anything to her anyway._) he thought. (_Wait a minute~! why would I care if she cared?_)

"You know, you`re a real pain in my ass." He spoke softly to her. Shaking his head free of these thoughts, he went on to catch up with the others.

* * *

><p><em>I think it`s quite obvious who "he" is, but I still wanted him to remain mysterious till the end of the dream! Oh well.<br>I totally forgot about this story, I`m sorry. But now that I was reminded by a very nice reviewer, I suppose I should start watching/reading the anime/manga from where I left off so I won`t screw up any important details._


End file.
